Ever since I can remember I asked my parents where our meat and seafood came from. When I was around six or seven years old my parents told me where seafood came from, and I swore it off that day — to be fair I only ever ate fish sticks, because come on, what little kid doesn’t love ‘em? For as long as I can remember after that my parents told me that the meat they purchased was fake, and I happily munched on some chicken nuggets and steak in ignorant bliss.
At some point, I did realize that yes, I was eating meat that did indeed come from animals, and I just kind of pushed it out of my mind, but one day when I was 13 years old I saw one of those awful PETA videos showing animals being slaughtered, and I completely lost any appetite for meat. I’ve always been an animal lover, so after seeing that video and combined with how I felt towards animals I swore meat off immediately.
About a week after this I decided to try some of the ham my mom had made for dinner because I worried that being a vegetarian would be difficult food-wise, but I could barely swallow it, and felt immense guilt afterward.
Fast forward almost ten years later, and I’m happily eating meat again. I know many vegans and vegetarians would chastise me for this, but it was a very personal choice I had to make on my own, and I don’t believe we should shame anyone for their dietary choices.
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2017, and ever since my diagnosis I’ve been toying around with the idea of going back to eating meat. If you or someone you know has Crohn’s or any other type of chronic illness that can affect their ability to eat at certain times or their ability to eat specific types of foods without becoming ill then you’ll understand this a bit more. I struggled to keep up my vegetarian lifestyle because I found that the more vegetables I ate — specifically green vegetables — I would become sick incredibly easily. I could no longer eat the same amount of spinach or broccoli as I once had without intense stomach pain for the rest of the day.
I wrestled with the idea of introducing chicken back into my diet, but I felt like I was turning my back on something so important to me, and essentially giving up. Eventually, I realized that my issue all along was with the treatment of the animals. I never had an issue with consuming meat, but the practices associated with factory farming.
About two months ago my boyfriend’s mom had made chicken for dinner, and I decided to try a little bite. I figured I’d see how I felt about it, and if it caused me any problems. A few days later I tried a little bit of steak, and throughout the following weeks I continued to try little bits here and there, and I was perfectly happy eating meat again.
The topic of veganism and vegetarianism can be incredibly emotionally charged, but at the end of the day, each of us has to decide what’s best for us personally and for our own individual health needs.
If your issue is also with factory farming then I encourage you to spend some time researching how to find meat products that are certified humane, so you can feel better about your choice to eat meat.
I’m happy I went back to eating meat. It was the best choice for my health to ensure I’m getting everything I need, and by being a conscious consumer I can also feel better about where I purchase my meat.